ScreenPal vs ShareX Comparison 2026
ScreenPal records, edits and hosts a video in one subscription, free to start and $4 a month for full capture and editing. ShareX captures screenshots, scrolling pages, video and GIFs for nothing, forever, but only on Windows, with no built-in host: it uploads to a destination you configure yourself. The real question is whether you want an all-in-one product or a free Windows utility wired to your own storage.
Screen recording and hosting at four dollars
Screen capture and recording, open source
At a glance
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
ScreenPal | ShareX | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $4 | Free |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
ScreenPal
Screen recording and hosting at four dollars
ScreenPal records the screen, edits what it recorded and hosts the result on a page you can send to somebody, which is three products most tools split up. The editor handles the things a tutorial actually needs, captions and callouts and cutting the dead air, without turning into a timeline that has to be learned. It was Screencast-O-Matic for years and the price has stayed in the same place. Anybody wanting cinema-grade output is in the wrong shop.
Our note
This was Screencast-O-Matic and it kept the pricing it built its reputation on, which is why it keeps beating tools that do less for more. Start on the free tier and only move up when the recording length or the editing limits actually stop you.
Only on this side
- Covers video hosting
ShareX
Screen capture and recording, open source
ShareX captures a region, a window, a scrolling page or the whole screen, records video and GIFs, and then runs whatever steps you set afterwards: annotate, upload, copy the link back. It has been in development for eighteen years and it uploads to a long list of destinations, including one you host yourself. Windows only, free, and it wants no account.
Why people weigh these two
- ShareX instead of ScreenPal
- ShareX is open source screen capture and recording at no cost, if hosting is handled elsewhere.
- ScreenPal instead of ShareX
- ScreenPal adds video hosting alongside the recorder, with a free tier and a $4 plan, for somebody who wants a place to host the clip without setting up uploads themselves.
Which one should you pick
Pick ScreenPal if you want editing and a hosted page you can send out without setting anything up, and you are not limited to Windows: it runs on web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. The free tier is genuinely usable for sharing, and $4 a month opens up full capture and editing.
Pick ShareX if you are on Windows and want a completely free, no-account tool that chains capture straight to your own server or bucket. There is no cost ever, but also no editor for turning a raw capture into a tutorial and no hosted page of its own.
Common questions
- Is ShareX really free with no paid tier at all?
- Yes. ShareX is free and open source, funded by donations, with no account and no paid plan. ScreenPal is freemium instead, with Deluxe at $4 a month and Max at $10.
- Does ShareX work on a Mac?
- No, it runs on Windows only. ScreenPal runs on web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, so it covers users ShareX cannot reach.
- Does ScreenPal host my captures on a page I can send someone?
- Yes, that is the core of it: record, edit and host live in one place. ShareX has no built-in host; it uploads to destinations you configure, including your own server.
- Which one edits the recording afterward?
- ScreenPal has a real editor built for tutorials: captions, callouts and cutting dead air. ShareX chains capture actions like annotate and upload, which is faster but is not an editing pass.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.